In a printer apparatus used as an apparatus for issuing, for example, a receipt, after prescribed items are printed on elongated paper drawn from paper wound in the rolled shape, the printed paper is cut into pieces of paper with a given length and then discharged.
It is known that such printer apparatuses include a double-sided thermal printer which carries out printing on both the surface and the back of paper so as to reduce the amount of paper used.
A thermosensitive layer which generates a color when heated is set on both the surface and the back of the paper used in a double-sided thermal printer apparatus, however, the paper used by the double-sided thermal printer apparatus, that is, double-sided thermal paper, is more expensive than single-sided thermal paper which has a thermosensitive layer only on one side.
In terms of economic, it is not preferable to carry out printing only on one side of the papers used for a double-sided thermal printer apparatus as it is expensive. Thus, it is considered to load a printer apparatus with both double-sided thermal paper and single-sided thermal paper.
However, the main body of a printer apparatus becomes large if the printer apparatus is always loaded with both double-sided thermal paper and single-sided thermal paper. It is further considered to set a paper loading section at one position so that double-sided paper and single-sided paper can be alternatively loaded every time when a printing job is carried out. However, it is troublesome to load paper alternatively every time when a printing job is carried out. Further, in a single-sided printing, the printing head at a non-use side is normally contacted with a platen roller and the service life of the printing head may be shortened due to the friction with the platen roller.